Super Paper Mario releases April 9
by Ludwig Kietzmann 
{ Feb 12th 2007 at 12:15PM }
Portly paper plumber platforming news now, with Nintendo announcing a release date of April 9 for Super Paper Mario. Initially developed as a Gamecube title, the Wii adventure sees Mario switching between charming 2-D and 3-D landscapes in an effort to thwart the ill-advised marriage of Princess Peach to Bowser. Who knew a mere platformer could provide such sweeping social commentary on the liberal, inter-species marriage laws of the Mushroom Kingdom?The platformer also underlines the state of the ongoing Wii games drought. Short of Sonic's Wii debut later this month and Wario's notable appearance early this year, the console's Q1 release schedule has been decidedly barren. Ideally, Super Paper Mario will kick off a more vigorous second quarter, complete with the evolved form of an overlooked Gamecube ape.
Gallery: Super Paper Mario
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Myke @ Feb 12th 2007 12:23PM
God, that game looks awesome, cant wait.
Jimbo @ Feb 12th 2007 12:32PM
Yeah but is it Widescreen?
reliefmd @ Feb 12th 2007 1:35PM
I can't wait for this game, even though I don't have a Wii yet. Nintendo has done a great job with its paper series, and it continues to show as much here.
But I also can't wait for somebody to complain about it just because the graphics are sooooo bad, gameplay is 20+ years old, and the game is sexist. Oh, and Mario is the reason turtles around the world are found to have an imploded shell, often with shoe treads on the top - thanks Nintendo!
(just dripping with sarcasm if you couldn't tell)
matthew @ Feb 12th 2007 12:36PM
Yay! And I just finally found a Wii this weekend! I live in NYC (impossible to find) and was unexpectedly in Charlston, SC. Lo and behold, they had two in stock! Bring on that Mario Party!
Myke @ Feb 12th 2007 12:38PM
Noshino, I really, REALLY hope you're being sarcastic. Seriously man, it's just an article about a game, how in gods name is this anti-sony. Are you The Intagible Fred T.ruth Fact re-encarnated???
Nice you you mention that Mario should retire and yet you seem to forget one of the only reasons that the PS3 will sell any more systems is the fact that at the moment they have the next exclusive Final Fantasy. Speaking of which, what # are they on? FINAL Fantasy 37 XII 2nd Battle? Wow, that's a talent I'll never gain, twisting a game article to be anti-another company, I tip my hat to you sir.
Evan @ Feb 12th 2007 12:41PM
"... in an effort to thwart the ill-advised marriage of Princess Peach to Bowser."
I think they'd make a cute couple!
tickmenanny @ Feb 12th 2007 12:47PM
Game drought? I have more Wii games than I know what to do with. Easily the fastest I have ever bought games for a system. An I only regret Rayman.
SyphonBlue @ Feb 12th 2007 12:49PM
Why does everyone talk about the Wii game drought? What games are coming out Q1 for 360 and PS3?
samfish @ Feb 12th 2007 12:50PM
"Heh, everyone almost grew up with Mario, but its about time they let him retire, seriously, stop glorifing him, hell, a few more Halo's, and these dudes at joystiq will be playing any game with master chief on it, Halo Extreme Volleyball....or Halo Cooking Lessons...."
YOU, sir, are *THE* hardest of the HARDCORE GAMERZ *EVAR*!!!1
I only wish my dick was half as big as yours!!!
Masterchief should RAPE Peach! THAT would be SOOO HARDCORE TO THE MAX!
greg @ Feb 12th 2007 2:47PM
I thought this was more of a role playing game than a platformer.
Nate @ Feb 12th 2007 2:09PM
"Why does everyone talk about the Wii game drought? What games are coming out Q1 for 360 and PS3?"
Well for the 360, there is Lost Planet, Crackdown, NBA Street: Homecourt, and GRAW 2....which is a pretty damn good first quarter. Not sure about the PS3 though.
But anyways, Super Paper Mario looks amazing....need more games like that for the Wii.
Aubrey @ Feb 12th 2007 2:18PM
No, #8, that would be more like snuff than hardcore.
C. Grant @ Feb 12th 2007 1:15PM
tickmenanny: I thought I was the only one that really disliked Rayman! Still ... there aren't a lot of games on Wii that I play. Zelda's out of the way, and Wario Ware is a mainstay ... I know they have some time (and the PS3 isn't teaming with games), but any Gamecube owner is a little nervous right now. If you didn't have a Cube, then there's at least a dozen incredible games out there to get on!
Slaziman @ Feb 12th 2007 1:20PM
Sonic & Secret Rings and this game will hopefully save me from this so-called "drought". (I have 5 DS games that I still have to finish, and that isn't including all the puzzles in Tetris DS :()
Crono @ Feb 12th 2007 1:25PM
Seriously. What game drought? I AM a GC owner, and I have more wii games than I know what to do with. I haven't gotten through Trauma Center yet, I haven't finished Zelda yet, haven't finished Rayman yet. Haven't finished monkey ball yet. I want to finish Red Steel when I have the time. Maybe restart it since I put it down for like ever. The only Wii game I've finished is Elebits, and it was a hellofalot of fun.
Honestly, the only game I regret having is DBZ, as the new control is so friggin complicated I can't remember from one day to the next how to freaking fly.
Enough of this "game drought"! Show me the killer release schedule of the PS3 and 360 for Q1-2007, and how Wii doesn't have half of that, then I might entertain the idea.
But as it is, Wii has the most games worth having 4 months out of launch. Period.
*Disclamer* - yes, I realize 360 has a better library currently, but its Q1-2006 release schedule was pretty bare too.
RYAN @ Feb 12th 2007 1:31PM
yeah i think the idea of a drought is just hilarious. I guess this is for people who have nothing better to do than play videogames ALL DAY LONG EVERY DAY OF THEIR LIVES. Or they only have a game or two to play.
Me? I have Zelda (not beaten - at water temple), Red Steel (not beaten - have 2 more missions to go), Monkey Ball (meh, don't even get me started), Excite Truck (only on the second class of tracks), Need For Speed: Carbon (love this one, about 70% through my career), and Marvel Ultimate Alliance (beat). So I've completed roughly 20% of my wii games, and that's not even considering the 15 GCN games i've bought since December and the 150 games for other systems I own.
I can be patient. lol
roflcopter @ Feb 12th 2007 3:15PM
whoever wrote that press release deserves a bonus
RYAN @ Feb 12th 2007 1:37PM
yeah, switching from 2D to 3D is SOOOOOOOO 2005
*flicks wrist*
ZealousD @ Feb 12th 2007 2:07PM
"Short of Sonic's Wii debut later this month and Wario's notable appearance early this year, the console's Q1 release schedule has been decidedly barren."
SSX Blur? Wii Play? I don't know about you but 3.5 (Wii play is like half a game) exclusive titles in a single quarter is not too shabby.
LongshotX @ Feb 12th 2007 2:22PM
I wouldn't wife that hoe (Princess Peach) up, she's slept with toad, mario, luigi, and even master chief. What a nasty slut she is. She even slept with some no name guy.
http://www.gamespite.net/img/blogart/0603mar/060306_gamespite004.jpg
Hiro @ Feb 12th 2007 2:26PM
This is one of the few titles that would almost make me consider getting a Wii.
Almost.
~
Chilly Wolff @ Feb 12th 2007 7:31PM
@ 16:
You're looking at year 2 of 360. What was there first quarter like for the 1st year it went on sale? Not too good.
NintendoFanbot @ Feb 12th 2007 2:27PM
FURRIES!!!111!!shift+1!!
Gosh I can't wait for a new Mario game where all you do is jump around. :)
NeoSkye @ Feb 12th 2007 2:29PM
The game looks awesome, but does this mean the end of Paper Mario as an RPG series? If so, I am very much sad panda :(
Jake @ Feb 12th 2007 2:30PM
From Metacritic.com:
Top 10 Rated Wii Games
1 Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, The 2006 95
2 WarioWare: Smooth Moves 2007 83
3 Madden NFL 07 2006 81
4 Trauma Center: Second Opinion 2006 80
5 Rayman Raving Rabbids 2006 76
6 Wii Sports 2006 75
7 Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz 2006 74
8 Elebits 2006 74
9 Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 2006 73
10 Super Swing Golf 2006 73
25 WiiPlay 57
Top 10 Rated 360 games
1 Gears of War 2006 94
2 Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, The 2006 94
3 Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2006 90
4 Call of Duty 2 2005 90
5 Burnout Revenge 2006 89
6 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2006 89
7 Blue Dragon 2007 89
8 Project Gotham Racing 3 2005 88
9 Fight Night Round 3 2006 86
10 Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2005 86
PS3
1 Resistance: Fall of Man 2006 88
2 MotorStorm 2007 85
3 Fight Night Round 3 2006 84
4 Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2006 81
5 Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 2006 81
6 NBA 2K7 2006 80
7 NHL 2K7 2006 80
8 Call of Duty 3 2006 80
9 Ridge Racer 7 2006 78
10 Madden NFL 07 2006 78
It is okay if you like the Wii games out there and don't consider it a drought. It is all subjective. But, if you can't see where people are coming from when they refer to it as a drought you need to think harder. Just look at the games, what they look like, how they play, their themes, their rankings etc. and understand that the platforms cater to different people at the very least. At least understand how a lot of people think the Wii sucks for the most part. Doesn't mean you won't continue to enjoy it. But at least you have to be open minded to how others may not enjoy the system you love.
I have Zelda on GC. WiiSports is decent. Madden is okay. Otherwise, there isn't anything in the top 10 I would even consider wanting to play. That isn't fanboy talk, either, I have always loved Nintendo and will crush 98% of you at MarioKart.
At least with PS3/360 bickering you can say, yeah, but 360 has a equal/better game in each catergory. Then you can argue. You can't even compare what is offered on the Wii with anything else out there. The games do have crappy graphics and look more like children's shows than adult ones. Not calling it kiddy, but there is a difference between Oblivion, Gears, and GRAW from Zelda, WarioWare, and Rayman. Aside from Zelda, which I have on GC, there really isn't much on Wii that is interesting to the average hardcore non-Nintendo fanboy gamer.
I mean, the Wii will get great games. I will buy it for Galaxy and Metroid and others. The userbase guarantees it will get quality titles in the future. But, if you think the day of the Wii is now you are crazy. The games for it right now are complete and utter crap. Wait 1.5 years and tell me the Wii has good games now when you see the actually quality games roll in. Sheesh.
Jake @ Feb 12th 2007 2:36PM
My above comment summed into a paragraph (after reading other recent posts):
A game drought doesn't just refer to the total number of games available. It refers to the total number of high quality mass appeal games available. Many games have come and gone on 360 that I never even considered a Gamefly rental on.
The Wii has a serious lack of titles that are interesting to someone with my game tastes, and the trend looks to continue for a couple months. It isn't empty, just slim. PS3 is getting VF5, Motosomething, FEAR, R6V, and Oblivion soon. The Wii has only one game that ranks higher than any of those and that will continue for several months.
Yes, the Wii has a game drought on its hands.
Ken @ Feb 12th 2007 2:40PM
Thanks for the list Jake, but I would have included VC games in the Q1. Now I realize that they aren't "New" games per se, but a few of them I haven't owned and heard good things.
I think that's why the VC came to be. To help those droughts out. And I'm sure that's why they are releasing games on XBLA, to keep a nice, steady flow of games.
mr mobius @ Feb 12th 2007 2:41PM
don't know about the rest of you, but its plenty for me
i've got zelda and wii sports. i'm on the twilight palace (after the city in the sky) so near completion but i'm still to get super monkey ball, possibly excite truck, elebits and then i really want super paper mario when it comes out
then during the summer there should be super mario galaxy, and metroid 3 along with others
other considerations i'd give would be to ssx blur and prince of persia
then there is the ds with zelda, final fantasy (i think) and few other games
more games than i'm going to ever get unfortunately, so not complaining
i found at most times during the gamecube there was at least 1 game i wanted so no complaints
Jake @ Feb 12th 2007 3:22PM
Ken. I took the lists directly off of Metacritic, so I didn't really have a choice to add VC games. It is odd that they do not consider Nintendo re-releases under the Wii, but some (not all) of the 360 games are ranked separately. Looking it over, it seems that they only count on metacritic if it has updated graphics, content, and online play modes. It makes sense, in a way. If the game isn't significantly different, or different at all, then it shouldn't count. But, DOOM for XBLA counted, and I don't know that that has anything added.
But who is really getting a system for old games anyways? Once the Wii starts getting some real heavy hitters one after another playing SM64 and Zelda SNES for the 100th time will seem like a bad memory.
NintendoFanbot @ Feb 12th 2007 3:26PM
NeoSkye wrote:
"21. The game looks awesome, but does this mean the end of Paper Mario as an RPG series? If so, I am very much sad panda :("
Nah, I wouldn't count on it. I heard that the origin of this game came about because Intelligent Systems was joking around with a little experiment and actually got the go-ahead to make it a real game.
Also, LOL @ the Press Release.
Otsego @ Feb 14th 2007 12:45PM
Forwards, backwards, up, down, it doesnt matter. Mario is STILL running to the right.
Jake @ Feb 12th 2007 3:30PM
It seems like Wii owners are very easy to please. I look at the games, their scores, etc. then hear people praise a game that got like a 53 in metacritic.
No offense, but I would have to get paid to play any current Wii game but Sports (you would have to pay me to play Wii Zelda because I am halfway thru on GC). Yet there are people who would have to get paid to play, say, Gears of War. Doesn't make one person right or wrong, but it is weird.
It is crazy how much a different platform can appeal so differently to people.
Myke @ Feb 12th 2007 3:40PM
Exactly Jake, and thats why these blogs get so bogged down in CRAP. Because for 1, if I like gears of war and someone else doesnt, there's no way for me to CONVINCE them to like it, they just don't, nothing wrong with that. There are things that ARE worth arguing over, value of game systems, system specs, you know, FACT-BASED logical arguments. But for 3/4 of the people who post here the only objective is to scream the loudest and, therefore win whatever war they make up in thier heads.
greyze @ Feb 12th 2007 3:55PM
30. Jake
it is amazing to find people like you with having more shit come from your mouth than your ass.
learn more about nintendo, actually BUY a wii. you will see why people love Wii then.. theres no way in hell im gona explain why a Wii is better than 360/ps3 cause i will be here all night giving points.
but! since you had the balls to say a stupid statement about crap ratings.. allow me to give you CORRECT information.
did you know?: EVERY Wii game has recieved 8/10+ since release? the only games that got less than that was NOT a offical nintendo title, such as Splinter cell which only got a 6/10 BUT them games that were rated low are also on all the other consoles ;)
did you know?: the games that have been rated crap on the wii are actually VC games? which are over 20 years old and from other companys (not nintendo)
you stupid psbox fan.
NintendoFanbot @ Feb 12th 2007 3:54PM
@ JAKE
Will you take money to stop annoying other people while talking about what they want?
And yes, I C what you did thar with ur big post and all. And your response to Ken.
"It seems like Wii owners are very easy to please."
But why are you re-asserting yourself with statements that only serve as euphemisms?
Vidikron @ Feb 12th 2007 4:07PM
@33
WiiPlay hasn't received a 8/10. 6 of the top 10 listed above have averages below 8/10. I don't know where you are getting your numbers... are these rankings you gave yourself?
The only games I have for my Wii is Zelda (other then Wii sports). Now I'm just waiting for anything else decent. I almost pulled trigger on Smooth Moves, but the general concensus seems to be that it gets old fast, so I ended up deciding against it.
Revo @ Feb 12th 2007 4:18PM
@ Jake
How the game libraries compare depends on how you interpret the data. For example, the Wii has 14 games with a score of 70 or higher, while the PS3 only has 12.
Now to address the so-called game drought. I have Wii Sports, Twilight Princess, Excite Truck, Monkey Ball, and Wario Ware. In Q1 2007 I'm looking forward to Sonic and the Secret Rings, SSX Blur, Wii Play (for the pack-in controller), and of course Super Paper Mario. That's nine games within the first five months of the Wii's launch. When I hear about this "game drought" we're supposedly having, I have to laugh.
moominsean @ Feb 12th 2007 6:19PM
i figured it was going to be a wii game from the orginal videos shown, because of the little floating cursor thing i saw...
Vidikron @ Feb 12th 2007 4:42PM
@35
The problem is most of the games you listed as having already really aren't that highly regarded. The best game after TP is likely WW, and many people have complained that it gets old pretty quick. Wii Play is getting hammered in reviews and the other two aren't out yet... and Sonic is definitely a big question mark considering the past couple of Sonic games have been garbage.
It's cool if you really like those games... there are games I've really liked in the past that weren't highly rated... but if you're going to include games with average to bad ratings as proof that there is no drought then any system could be said to have no drought... ever!
When people talk about a game drought they are usually talking about a lack of A-AAA titles.
Oshi @ Feb 12th 2007 5:15PM
So that's one former Gamecube game materializing... Now where's that fabled Kirby game?
samfish @ Feb 12th 2007 5:29PM
Personally, as much as I'm in Nintendo's camp, I do agree that there is an over all game drought.
I only own Zelda and Super Swing Golf (which I'm going to give to my mom, since she bought a Wii yesterday o_O), as well as Wii Sports.
I'm not in to mini games, so a lot of the selection on the Wii is worthless to me.
I'd be willing to buy something like Excite Truck, but not until it's at least $40.
Like the price of the Wii itself, game prices are just a little bit too high to be an impulse buy. If Nintendo lower the price of a lot of their games to start at about $40, I'd probably own Excite Truck and Rayman by now.
I'm waiting for Sonic next week, since I'm really more into platformers/action-adventure, puzzle games and shoot-em-ups, mostly.
And I'm going to feel REALLY burned in general in Sonic sucks even HALF as bad as the 360/PS3 games do.
Revo @ Feb 12th 2007 5:30PM
@ Vidikron
"...and Sonic is definitely a big question mark considering the past couple of Sonic games have been garbage."
I have a challenge for you. Go look at previews for this game. How many times do they say that issues from previous 3D Sonics have been fixed? (Answer: a lot.) How many times do they say something negative about it aside from the on-rails mechanic? (Answer: very few.)
As far as I can tell, the game is essentially a 2D-style Sonic game done in 3D. And to me, that seems like a very good thing.
"It's cool if you really like those games... there are games I've really liked in the past that weren't highly rated... but if you're going to include games with average to bad ratings as proof that there is no drought then any system could be said to have no drought... ever!"
Average to bad? The games I listed have the following scores: 72, 74, 75, 83, and 95. I'm getting Wii Play because of the free controller, as I already stated.
Incidentally, the 72 from that list happens to be Excite Truck. Reviewers of that game (and probably several others) presumably rated it low because it wasn't "deep" enough. Now, if you haven't played it, let me tell you, its sense of speed and its boost system more than make up for any deficiency in gameplay depth. In fact, I'd be willing to say it's one of the most genuinely *fun* games I've ever played.
Vidikron @ Feb 12th 2007 5:47PM
@39
Yeah, and I'll believe the Sonic game is good when I see it. Previews are almost always positive for any game, but the final reviews are all I'm interested in. The track record for the recent 3D Sonics is not good.
"Average to bad? The games I listed have the following scores: 72, 74, 75, 83, and 95. I'm getting Wii Play because of the free controller, as I already stated."
Yes. I addressed all of those. I consider anything in the 70's to be fairly average. Technically, around 50 should be average, but it's not. Everyone knows games in the 50's are bad (like Wii Play). The 83 is Smooth Moves and people are mixed on that game. I've read comments from a lot of people that has said it's very fun the first time, but gets old very quickly. And as others have stated, they want more than just a collection of mini games.
Again, using your standard, there has never been a system with a true drought.
Leshrac @ Feb 12th 2007 6:02PM
Hmm.. the only downside is that this almost definitely pushes Mario Galaxy back. Miyamoto originally promised "within 6 months of launch"... If I had to guess, it'll probably be August now (Mario Sunshine debuted in August).
Frankie @ Feb 12th 2007 6:31PM
Ratings don't matter when Nintendo is focusing on building a userbase via the mainstream audience right now, and the game releases from Nintendo reflects this. Wii Play, Wii sports, Mario Part 8, Warioware Smooth Moves,
As much as the hardcores scoff at these titles and scream bloody murder at the percieved(by the hardcores) game drought, the casuals and nongamers will eat this up.
You probably don't need higher rated games right now anyway since you have one of the great system sellers of this generation: Wii Sports. Laugh at it all you want, its the primary reason why the mainstream are lining up for the Wii.
fa7kon @ Feb 12th 2007 6:33PM
@Jake
I completely agree with you, don't let blind nintendo fanboys like greyze get to you. Your breakdown of the metacritic scores is exactly the dose of accuracy threads like this needs. I find myself playing my 360 4x more often than my wii since i've beaten zelda, as there IS definitely a game drought on it! Now all the rest of you, don't label me as a Nintendo hater or whatever, I DO have a wii and I LOVED zelda, and i'll be the first of all of you to buy SSB:Brawl and Mario Galaxy, but there just aren't any compelling titles out there for wii except Zelda.
I *almost* bought warioware but again, as mentioned before people seem to say it gets old fast, so i'll wait at least until it's under $40 to buy it.
Anyways, again Jake thanks for the metacritic breakdown it is really the hard evidence that stupid fanboys have a hard time arguing against.
Oh, and to reply to this post, I'd say i'm cautiously excited about Paper Mario - i'll have to wait for the reviews, but if they're favorable i'll probably get it.
NintendoFanbot @ Feb 12th 2007 6:34PM
"Again, using your standard, there has never been a system with a true drought."
I'd actually agree with such an assessment. Unless you count systems that were discontinued but software was still coming, or ones that weren't really that popular anyways.
Mr Khan @ Feb 12th 2007 6:36PM
I'll definitely pick this up if nothing better (RE: Fire Emblem, Strikers, BWii, or Metroid Prime 3) materializes in April
Revo @ Feb 12th 2007 6:47PM
@ Vidikron
"Yeah, and I'll believe the Sonic game is good when I see it. Previews are almost always positive for any game, but the final reviews are all I'm interested in. The track record for the recent 3D Sonics is not good."
Are you trying to tell me these people who have played the game are lying when they say the issues from previous games have been resolved and the game is a blast to play? I for one would certainly think it a bit strange if sites like Gamespot that gave very positive impressions of the near-final game, and then changed their minds and told us it was terrible in the review.
I'm well aware of the lackluster showing Sonic has had as of late, but your assertion is counterintuitive. The game has been well received as far back as E3, so if anything the game should be *better* than how they described it due to additional development time.
"Again, using your standard, there has never been a system with a true drought."
I think the problem here is our differing definitions of what a drought is. You claim that a drought is "a lack of A-AAA titles", and by that definition all three consoles are in the middle of a drought in the first quarter of this year.
My definition is a bit more basic and personalized: "a lack of games I want to play." I still haven't finished the games I currently own, and I have four that I'm looking forward to getting within the next two months. Thus, no drought. Magical, isn't it?
Vidikron @ Feb 12th 2007 7:58PM
@48
Counterintuitive? Not at all. Like I said, previews are almost always positive for any game. All I'm saying is I'm taking a wait and see position on the Wii Sonic game. It's too early to call it good.
As for my definition of A-AAA titles... I really don't think the 360 is in much of drought. GoW and R6LV are both fantastic titles that came out during the holiday season. I think Crackdown will end up being an A title at the least and it launches on the 20th of this month. Lost Planet ended up being a bit disappointing, but it's easily as good as, and likely better than, the 70's rated titles you have been listing for the Wii.
I've had my Wii since launch and still just have one game (Zelda) other than Wii Sports (which is really just like a demo disc).
You're free to define drought however you would like, but you have to understand that most people measure droughts similar to how I do... they measure droughts by the time span between big releases... not how many average games are launched between.